BT 




LIBRARY OFjPONGRESS. 
"5 




• Shelf 




UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 









sanctification; 



What it is, When it is, How it is. 



BY 

REV. J. H. COLLI 2STS, 

Of the Pacific Conference. 




' nashville, tens".: 

Southern Methodist Publishing House, 
printed for the author. 

1885. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 18S5, 

By J. H. COLLINS, 
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at "Washington. 



The Libr*i<v 

OF CONGlw.aS 
WASHINGTON 



PREFACE 



In writing this book, "Sanctification," I send it forth as 
the convictions of my heart, with a desire to be of some as- 
sistance to the many who are hungering for full salvation. 
I write from the experimental stand-point. In reference 
to satictification, or purity, I am persuaded that it is ours, 
first, to humbly believe all that God has written for our 
comfort, instruction, and guidance; for "all Scripture is 
given by inspiration of God, . . . that the man of God 
may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 
(2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.) Second, to humbly receive all that 
God graciously wills that we should have. "This is the 
will of God, even your sanctification.'' (1 Thess. iv. 3.) 
And third, to humbly confess his blessed work in cleans- 
ing "us from all sin," that others may hear and know of his 
power through our testimony. "They overcame him [the 
devil] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their 
testimony." (Rev. xii. 11.) 

In the short chapter of testimonies I have quoted free- 
ly from Wood's " Perfect Love." I have followed in the 
line of our Wesley, Fletcher, Bramwell, Stoner, Carvosso, 
Hester Ann Rogers, as well as those "who have obtained 
like precious faith" in other communions. My appeal has 
been to our standard authors, but principally to the Script- 
ures. I have aimed to be simple in arrangement, concise 
in statement, and have avoided the use of "big words." 

This, my humble effort to do good, I give to thee, bless- 
ed Master. It is not much; but were it more, Lord, it 
should still be thine. J. H. Collins. 



CONTENTS. 

Chapter T page 

Clearing Away the Bobbish 5 

Chapter IT. 
Sanctification — What it is 11 

Chapter III. . 
Sanctification — What it is — Difficult Texts 20 

Chapter IV. 
Sanctification — When it is 30 

Chapter V. 
Sanctification — When it is — Our Standards 40 

Chapter VI. 
Sanctification — How it is — Faith 46 

Chapter VII. 
Sanctification — How it is — Confession 54 

Chapter VIII. 
My Experience 60 

Chapter IX. 
Testimonies 67 

Chapter X. 
The Land of Canaan as it is 71 



L 



SANCTIFICATION. 



CHAPTER L 

CLEARING AWAY THE RUBBISH, 

"There is much rubbish, so that we are not able to 
build the wall." (Xeh. iv. 10.) 

" Take up the stumbling-block out of the way of my peo- 
ple." (Isa. lvii. 14.) 

WHEN Neliemiah was rebuilding the 
walls of Jerusalem he met with much 
discouragement. He was laughed at by some, 
scoffed at by others, and openly resisted by 
many. Tobiah said that if a fox were to go up 
he w r ould even break down their stone wall. In 
the midst of his labors Nehemiah was informed 
that there was much rubbish in the w r ay to hin- 
der the building. So, in our attempt to build the 
wall of Christian perfection, w T e find it neces- 
sary to first direct our labors to patiently clear- 
ing away the rubbish. Many dear people are 
saying: "0 1 don't believe in this doctrine of 
sanctification ; I don't think we'll ever get 
where we will not be tempted; I think we'll 
never get where we cannot sin; I have evil 

(5) 



6 sanctification: what, when, how. 

thoughts every day." Such like objections we 
are expected to consider, and by the help of 
God to kindly remove them, as we are admon- 
ished to "take up the stumbling-block out of 
the way of my people." 

First, Christian perfection does not suppose 
that we are made perfect in knowledge. In 
the works of nature God's laws are mysteri- 
ous. Much has been discovered; but how lit- 
tle, compared to the vast realms that are yet 
unexplored. A child can puzzle a philosopher; 
and why? Because the simplest things about 
us cannot be fully explained. The chemist 
may separate certain substances into their ele- 
ments; but ask him what is the essence of any 
thing, and he cannot tell you. Another man 
in the pursuit of knowledge may assert specific 
properties of matter, such as figure, dimension, 
density, force, etc.; but ask him what is force, 
and he is compelled to confess his ignorance. 
In short, who can trace to their finality heat, 
light, life, electricity, and many other things 
with which we come in contact every day? In 
these, "who by searching can find out God? Lo, 
these are a part of his ways, but the thunder 
of his power who can understand?" So in 
divine providence we may say what he does 
"we know not now." We know not "what a 



sanctification: what, when, how. 7 

day may bring forth;" we cannot correctly 
plan the future; we take but one step at a 
time, for we walk by faith, not by sight. The 
same may be said in reference to the spiritual 
kingdom here: "Without controversy, great is 
the mystery ol; godliness." 

During one of my trips into the northern 
portion of California, I came within a few miles 
of Mount Shasta. I had often desired to have 
a near view of this grand mountain. Suddenly 
coming from the forest into an open place, I 
turned to look, expecting to realize my satis- 
faction — when, lo! the summit and sides of 
the vast butte were covered with clouds. Here 
and there through breaks in the clouds I could 
discover patches of the mountain glittering 
with snow. Then my mind went up to God, 
and I thought of that wonderful passage, 
"Clouds and darkness are round about him,' 1 
while we gain but little knowledge of his ways. 

As we cannot be perfect in knowledge, nei- 
ther can we be free from mistake, as imperfec- 
tion in knowledge implies liability to mistake. 
Erroneous opinion will tend to produce erro- 
neous practice; and so mistakes will be made 
which may be both afflictions to ourselves and 
to others. Yet, in this we cannot see any con- 
demnation. We conceive that an angel does 



8 sanctification: what, when, how. 

not know all things, and, therefore, might 
innocently blunder. 

Second, Christian perfection is not a state in 
which we are free from temptation. The word 
"tempt" is used in the Bible with two mean- 
ings: first, it means to try, to test, as it is said 
that God tempted Abraham; second, it is to 
solicit to do evil. In this sense, it is said: 
"God tempted no man, neither is he tempted." 
With these definitions of the word "tempta- 
tion," we understand that we will never reach 
a plane where we will not be tempted. But 
the trouble of many people comes in just here; 
they do not distinguish between a temptation 
and a sin; they confound the one with the 
other. A temptation is not a sin. Let us set 
a stake down here. If a temptation is a sin, 
then it follows that Jesus was one of the great- 
est sinners that ever lived; for he was tempted 
to worship the devil. " He was tempted in all 
points as we are, yet without sin." 

It is said that the "thought of foolishness 
is sin." So it is; but let us explain. This 
does not mean that to think about foolishness 
is sin ; for the Saviour thought about worship- 
ing the devil, and what greater foolishness than 
that? The truth is, there is no sin in foolish 
thoughts passing through our minds. The sin 



SANCTIFICATIOX: WHAT. WHEN, HOW. 9 

would be in harboring them. In the language 
of an old proverb, "We cannot prevent the 
birds from Hying over our heads, but we can 
keep them from building nests in our hair." 

Christian perfection does not free from in- 
firmities. These may be either of the mind — 
as irresolution, slow perception, feeble mem- 
ory — or of the body. We often see persons 
who are near-sighted; others again who stut- 
ter in their speech. Such we call infirmities; 
they arise from some mental or physical de- 
fect. They are now covered with the blood of 
Christ, and will be kissed away in the resur- 
rection. It does not mean a state where we 
may not sin. We will never reach a plane in 
the present life where there is no possibility 
of falling away. There is one sense, however, 
in which the sanctified cannot sin — that is, 
they cannot sin and maintain a sanctified re- 
lation at the same time. This is true of all 
the children of God, whether entirely sancti- 
fied or not. "He that is born of God doth not 
commit sin." You offer a man a thousand dol- 
lars if he will strike his mother, and he says, 
"No; I love my mother; I cannot strike her." 
But if he gets drunk, then he will strike his 
mother for nothing. Just so long as a person 
loves God he cannot sin; but the moment he 



10 sanotification: what, when, how. 

loses his love, he is prepared to rush into sin. 
To shape our thoughts: the sanctified person 
is tempted, may sin, but does not sin, and has 
no sin. 

To be sanctified does not mean to have 
Christ's holiness imputed to us. As Mr. 
Fletcher says, we "must have holiness in our- 
selves, but not of ourselves." Not imputed, 
but imparted. The scriptural illustration is: 
"I am the vine, ye are the branches." Now, 
if the branches only have the juices of the 
vine imputed to them, they will be dead. 
Thank God, the juices of the vine are to be im- 
parted to them. "For he that abideth in me, 
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much 
fruit." (John xv. 5.) We must not only have 
Christ crucified for us, but we must be crucified 
with him. Not only Christ for us, but Christ 
in us. To sum up: Christian perfection is not 
freedom from ignorance, nor mistake, nor 
temptation, nor infirmity, nor the possibility 
of falling; neither is it imputed holiness. 
Then what is it? 



CHAPTER II, 

SANCTIFICATIOX — WHAT IT IS. 

The bird that soars on highest wing 

Builds on the ground its lowly nest; 
And she that doth most sweetly sing, 
Sings in the shade when all things rest. 
In lark nnd nightingale we see 
What lienor hath humility. 

The saint that wears heaven's highest crown 

In deepest adoration bends; I 

The weight of glory bows him down 
The most when most his soul ascends. 
Nearest the throne itself must be 
The footstool of humility.— Southern Churchman. 

"Perfect love casteth out fear/' (1 John iv. 18.) 
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly." (1 
Thess. v. 23.) 

WHEN our Saviour was made an offering 
for sin, "the vail of the temple was 
rent in twain from the top to the bottom." 
"The Holy Ghost thus signifying that the way 
of the holiest of all" was then "made mani- 
fest." It becomes us, then, humbly, and yet 
boldly, to inquire, What does it mean to be 
sanctified? 

The words "perfect," "sanctify," "sanctifi- 
cation," "holy," "holiness," are used as refer- 
ring to the same state of Christian experience. 

(11) 



12 sanctification: what, when, how. 



These three words and their equivalents are 
found in the Bible about six hundred times. 
The word " perfect "—from the prefix per, 
through, and facere, to make; literally, to make 
through — means finished, complete. The word 
telios, which is rendered " perfect" in the New 
Testament, means full, entire, as opposed to 
what is partial or limited, from the noun telos, 
an end. Sanctify is from sanctus, holy, and 
facere, to make; literally, to make holy. The 
word in the original is hagiadzoo; means to con- 
secrate, to cleanse, to purify. We desire to 
emphasize this twofold meaning of the word. 
It means, first, to consecrate or set apart from 
a common to a sacred use; as, "God blessed 
the seventh day, and sanctified it." (Gen. ii. 3.) 
Second, it means to cleanse, to purify; as, 
"And the very God of peace sanctify you 
wholly." (1 Thess. v. 23.) 

A great many are willing to be consecrated. 
Many persons talk much of consecration, but 
say but little of sanctification; whereas con- 
secration is only one element or a prerequi- 
site to sanctification. To be wholly sancti- 
fied is to be fully consecrated to God, and 
to be cleansed from all sin. The removal 
of sin makes room for grace. It is said 
that "nature abhors a vacuum." As in the 



sanctification: what, when, how. 13 

natural so in the spiritual world. When the 
soul is emptied of all sin, then it becomes 
filled with love to God and love to men. This 
is what constitutes Christian perfection. This 
perfect love does not enable as to keep all the 
law in its letter. For that reason w r e do not 
use the phrase " sinless perfection." But it does 
enable us to keep the law in all its spirit; and 
that is the only requirement made of us. 
"Love is the fulfilling of the law." (Rom. 
xiii. 10.) "All the law is fulfilled in one word." 
(Gal. v. 14.) This is "the royal law "—the law 
of liberty, the law by which " if the Son of man 
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." 
What do the Scriptures teach in reference 
to this state of holiness, or Christian perfec- 
tion? The doctrine of holiness runs through 
the Bible like the veins and arteries run through 
the human body. If we take holiness out, we 
will bleed the Bible to death. Nothing which 
God commands must be set aside as unreason- 
able or impossible. "Blessed are they that do 
his commandments, that they may have right 
to the tree of life, and may enter in through 
the gates into the city." (Rev. xxii. 14.) A 
short time ago, while calling at the house of 
a brother minister, I observed upon the floor 
a small Sunday-school card. It had printed 






14 sanctification: what, when, how. 

upon it the short motto: " His commandments 
are not grievous." I John v. 3.) A blessed 
motto to wear upon our hearts, a valuable help 
in reading the Scriptures, to remember that 
'•His commandments are not grievous." And 
what does God command? "For I am the 
Lord your God; ye shall therefore sanctify 
yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am ho- 
ly." (Lev. xi. 44.) "But as he which hath 
called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner 
of conversation."' (1 Pet. i. 15. i These are ex- 
amples of the many scriptures that might be 
quoted. "This is the will of God, even your 
sanctification/' (1 Thess. iv. 3.) Whosoever, 
therefore, antagonizes sanctification antago- 
nizes the will of God. 

He not only commands, but he exhorts to ho- 
liness : "And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the 
word of exhortation.'' " Therefore, leaving the 
principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on 
unto perfection." But how could Paul exhort 
his brethren to go on unto perfection unless 
it was possible to reach it. "Let us cleanse 
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and 
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.'' 
( 2 Cor. vii. 1.) Here the plain teaching of 
God urges to a full cleansing; but we are at a 
to understand words if a full cleansing is 



sanctification: what, when, how. 15 



an impossibility. The reason why holiness is 
not impossible is because God will enable be- 
lievers to become holy. He has promised to 
do so: "For all the promises of God in him 
are yea, and in him are amen." What has God 
promised? "Then will I sprinkle clean water 
upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your 
filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse 
you." (Ezek. xxxvi. 25.) Now, if the Lord 
will cleanse his people from all nlthiness, and 
from all idols, how much filthiness and how 
many idols will remain? He says in the same 
chapter: " I will also save you from all your un- 
cleanness." What is the meaning of the word 
"all?" "But if we walk in the light as he is 
in the light, we have fellowship one with an- 
other, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son 
cleanseth us from all sin." Here is a precious 
declaration, so plain that "a wayfaring man, 
though a fool, need not err therein." " Christ 
also loved the Church, and gave himself for 
it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with 
the washing of water by the word, that he 
might present it to himself a glorious Church, 
not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; 
but that it should be holy and without blem- 
ish." (Eph. v. 25-27.) As the laundryman 
washes the garments that are soiled, so Christ 



16 sanctification: what, when, how. 

will cleanse the souls that are committed to 
him. He uses the powerful application of his 
blood, and he proposes to wash out every 
spot and to smooth out every wrinkle. Now, 
then, to say that the souls thus purified are 
still unclean is dishonoring to the blood of 
Christ. 

Our Saviour prayed that his disciples might 
be sanctified. Surely he did not pray in vain. 
Paul prayed that his Thessalonian brethren 
might be sanctified "wholly, and preserved 
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." He also prayed that the brethren at 
Ephesus might be "filled with all the fullness of 
God." What means this prayer, what means the 
apostle, what means the Saviour, what means the 
Bible, if this high and holy state be not present- 
ed as the heritage of the people of God? "All 
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and 
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for cor- 
rection, for instruction in righteousness; that 
the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly 
furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. iii. 
16, 17.) " Holiness unto the Lord " is the great 
"central idea of Christianity" as the sun is 
the center of our solar sytem. " Follow peace 
with all men, and holiness, without which no 
man can see the Lord." ( Heb. xii. 14.) 



sanctification: what, when, how. 17 

In what moral condition do we iind men who 
are unrenewed by divine grace? Both sinful 
and sinning; "the whole world lieth in wick- 
edness." "All have sinned, and come short of 
the glory of God." Does the attainment of 
holiness destroy any essential organ, appetite, 
or principle of human nature? It does not. 
It only cleanses from all sin. "We understand, 
then, that human nature may exist entire with- 
out sin; or, in other words, that sin is not an 
essential part of human nature. Can you ex- 
plain this further by illustration? Take a 
glass of clear water; drop into it a tea-spoon- 
ful of poison; now the water has become poi- 
soned — i. e. 3 the water has united with poison in 
the glass; but it is in the power of the chem- 
ist to separate these two substances, and then 
the water exists perfect, free from poison. So 
the evil has poisoned human nature by the in- 
troduction of sin. It is the work of Christ to 
"destroy the work of the devil "by removing 
the poison of sin. Then human nature exists 
perfect — i. e., separate from sin. Have we any 
examples of human nature that never had any 
sin? We have. Adam, before his fall, had 
human nature without sin; for he was created 
in the image of God, " which is righteousness 
and true holiness." Christ also possessed hu- 
2 



18 SAXCTIFICATIOX: WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 

man nature entire, yet " he was holy, harmless 
and separate from sinners." 

Do those who are cleansed from all sin enjoy 
that perfection of human nature as represented 
by Adam? They do not; only in reference 
to freedom from sin. That which is cleansed 
from all siu has no sin remaining. Can you 
explain this further by illustration ? Here are 
two garments white and clean ; we place them 
side by side; one of them is entirely new, and 
never has been soiled nor injured by use; the 
other, however, has been not only soiled, but 
worn and injured in its texture; washing has 
taken away all impurity, but has not removed 
the rents from the garments. The two gar- 
ments are exactly alike so far as cleanliness is 
concerned; but they are unlike in other re- 
spects — the one is a new, strong garment, clean 
without washing; the other is frail and worn, 
but clean by washing. 

So Adam, having never sinned, enjoyed a pu- 
rity of heart, his powers never having been 
impaired by sin; while Christian perfection is 
human nature enfeebled by the effect of the 
fall, but washed in the blood of the Lamb. 
Blessed state! " These are robed in whiteness, 
clothed in brightness." Glorious, indeed! It 
wakens the joy of angels, and starts a song 



sanctification: what, when, how. 19 

upon earth that shall be sung in heaven for- 
ever: "Unto him that loved us, and washed us 
from our sins in his own blood, and hath made 
us kings and priests unto God and his Father; 
to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. 
Amen." (Rev. i. 5, 6.) 



CHAPTER III. 

SANCTIFICATION — WHAT IT IS — DIFFICULT 
TEXTS. 

.Just to leave in His dear hand 

Little things- 
All we cannot understand, 

All that stings ; 
Just to let him take the care, 

Sorely pressing; 
Finding all we lee him bear 

Changed to blessing. 
This is all ; and yet the way 

Marked by him who loves thee best; 
Secret of a happy day, 

Secret of his promised rest! 

— Frances R. Havergal. 

" So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, 
and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the 
reading." (Neh. viii. 8.) 

WE see that the Bible, as a whole, teaches 
the duty and privilege of Christians 
to be entirely holy or sanctified. Now, we 
know that it is against the plainest rules of in- 
terpreting the Scriptures to take a few doubt- 
ful passage?, and attempt to found a doctrine 
upon them or to use them as an offset to that 
which is so often and so clearly set forth in the 
Word of God. Scripture must harmonize with 
scripture. Whenever the Bible is properly un- 
derstood, there can be no conflict, no contradic- 
(20) 



RANCTIFICATIOX: WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 21 

tion within itself. But are there not some pas- 
sages which at first sight might seem to some 
to teach tha£ we cannot live without sin ? There 
are; and it is proper that these should receive 
some explanation, because some well-meaning 
people are hereby troubled — unable to recon- 
cile these passages with the general teachings 
of the Bible. To name these passages in or- 
der: " There is no man that siuneth not." (1 
Kings viii. 46.) This clause occurs in the 
prayer of Solomon in the dedication of the 
Temple. The same prayer is recorded in Sec- 
ond Chronicles, sixth chapter. The preceding 
clause reads: "If they sin against thee." 
Then comes, "There is no man that sinneth 
not." The first clause informs us that there 
is doubt whether the people sin — " If they sin," 
etc. The second clause (if properly translated) 
informs us that there is no doubt — "For there 
is no man that sinneth not." Here the second 
clause seems not only to contradict the gen- 
eral tenor of the Scriptures, but to contradict 
the very clause preceding it. The great com- 
mentator, Adam- Clarke, says: "The clause 
in the original language means 'that may 
not sin,'" and is so translated in the thirty- 
first verse of this chapter. Hence we read, 
"If they sin against thee, and there is no 



22 sanctification: what, when, how. 

man that may not sin," and all is plain and con- 
sistent. We quote another: Who can say, "I 
have made my heart clean; I am pure from 
my sin?" "We answer, No one can say, "7 
have made my heart clean;" but Jesus' blood 
can make the heart clean; and every one who 
proves the efficacy of that blood is made whiter 
than snow. Another passage: "For there is 
not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and 
sinneth not." (Eccles. vii. 20.) The difficulty 
here is the same as we have already noticed in 
the clause of Solomon's prayer. The words 
" sinneth not " are more properly translated 
may not sin. Dr. Clarke refers to several places 
where the same words are rendered "may not 
sin" — to wit: 1 Sam. ii. 25; twice in 1 Kings 
viii. 31, 46; and 2 Chron. vi. 36. Another 
passage: "For a just man falleth seven times 
and riseth up again." This text does not af- 
firm that a just man falls into sin seven times, 
nor that he falls into sin at all. It only states 
that he falls seven times; and the context shows 
that reference is here made to falling into af- 
fliction. As it is said in another portion of the 
Word of God, " Many are the afflictions of the 
righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of 
them all." We put at the foot of the above 
scripture the character of Job, of whom "the 



sanctification: what, when, how. 23 



, ,, a.^.^-,^,, 



Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered 
my servant Job, that there is none like him in 
the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that 
feareth God, and escheweth evil? " (^Job i. 8.) 
Those passages which are found in the book 
of Job declaring none are perfect are found 
upon examination to be not the language of 
inspiration, but only the words of Job's mis- 
erable comforters. God invalidates their tes- 
timony. In the last chapter of the book of 
Job, seventh verse, we find these words: "The 
Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath 
is kindled against thee, and against thy two 
friends; for ye have not spoken of me the 
thing that is right, as my servant Job hath." 

"There is none good but one, that is, God." 
(Matt. xix. 17.) This means none are abso- 
lutely good but God — not even the angels; but 
they are good — certainly they are perfect in 
their sphere. So Christians may be good, even 
perfect in their sphere. "All have sinned, and 
come short of the glory of God." (Rom. iii. 
23.) This text speaks of past, not present, sins. 
It is, therefore, wide of the mark. It may be 
said of the redeemed of heaven, all have sinned; 
but that is quite different from saying all are 
sinning now. The same may be said of saints 
on earth. 



24 sanctification: what, when, how. 

Romans, seventh chapter, is often cited as 
the stronghold of those who contend that we 
cannot be saved from all sin in this life. Here 
the apostle Paul says, " I am carnal, sold un- 
der sin; " says that there is a war in his mem- 
bers, so that when he would do good, evil is 
present with him; and closes the lamentable 
scene by crying out: " O wretched man that I 
am! who shall deliver me from the body of 
this death? " We are bold here to state that 
this is not the apostle Paul's experience as a 
Christian. 

First, because he does not say so. 

Second, because such a Christian experience 
would not only contradict every other portion 
of Scripture, but would be absurd within it- 
self. Let us criticise a moment. " I am car- 
nal." We read, "To be carnally-minded is 
death." So, then, this Christian is in a state 
of death. Next: " Sold under sin." Alas! if 
this be the condition of a Christian, his relig- 
ion has done but little for him. " There is a 
war in my members." The picture becomes 
more gloomy. We thought it was the work of 
religion to produce peace. "When I would 
do good, evil is present with me," "and the 
evil which I would not, that I do." Worse 
still — bound in the fetters of an evil principle 



sanctification: what, when, how. 25 

that he cannot break. " O wretched man that 
I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of 
this death?" The allusion here is to an an- 
cient custom of certain tyrants, who bound a 
dead body to a living man, and obliged him to 
carry it about until the contagion of the putrid 
mass took away his life. Who can imagine a 
more horrible death? But this, Ave are told, is 
the experience of St. Paul. This might have 
been the experience of St. Paul as a sinnel', 
but certainly not as a Christian. The argu- 
ment which the apostle uses here is carried on 
by means of a dialogue. He asks certain ques- 
tions and answers them. In this seventh chap- 
ter he personates a Jew, and shows how wretch- 
ed and hopeless his condition while left to law 
alone, and what a necessity for such a person 
as Christ to deliver from the " body of sin and 
death." The experience of a man in Christ is 
given in the opening verses of the eighth chap- 
ter of Romans: "There is therefore now no 
condemnation to them which are in Christ Je- 
sus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the 
Spirit. For the law T of the Spirit of life in 
Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law 
of sin and death." 

O what a contrast! In the seventh chapter 
there is death and slaverv and war and wail- 



26 SANCTIPICATION: WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 

ing and wretchedness, In the eighth there is 
pardon and peace and freedom and a song of 
triumph. We have often heard people excus- 
ing sin: "O we all sin; even Paul, he had a 
thorn in the flesh;" and this seems to be a 
favorite rallying - point and " dodge," when 
brought to see their sins. Examine a mo- 
ment this passage, as found in 2 Cor. xii. 7: 
" There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the 
messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should 
be exalted above measure." It is evident that 
thorn here does not mean sin. First, because 
it does not say so. Second, because he says it 
was given him. Sin was either born with him, 
or else was committed by him. Third, because 
he speaks of its being given him immediately 
after he was caught up into the third heaven, 
which would infer, at any rate, that he did not 
have sin (thorn) in his Christian career previ- 
ous to his trance. Fourth, he says he glo- 
ried in this infirmity (thorn). We cannot con- 
ceive that the apostle gloried in sin. Fifth, it 
was given him to keep him humble. It can- 
not be said that sin, pride, or unbelief, in any of 
its forms, produces humility. " If we say that 
Ave have no sin, we deceive ourselves." (1 John 
i. 8.) The tenth verse explains the eighth: "If 
we say that we have not sinned." The apostle 



sanctification: what, when, how. 27 

here was writing in opposition to a sect of peo- 
ple called the "Gnostics," who denied the ex- 
istence of sin in the world. The verse alluded 
to is further explained by reading it in its full 
connection: "If we say that we have no sin, 
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in 
us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and 
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us 
from all unrighteousness." I once heard a 
minister opposing the doctrine of entire sanc- 
tification. He first offered prayer asking the 
Lord to "enable us to walk in all his ways," 
and then in his sermon he said that we could 
not walk in all his ways, and quoted: "If 
we say that we have no sin, we deceive our- 
selves, and the truth is not in us. If we con- 
fess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive 
us our sins." There he stopped. If he had 
only read the next clause — " and to cleanse us 
from all unrighteousness" — it would have ru- 
ined his sermon ; for it is very plain that if we 
are cleansed from all unrighteousness, there is 
no unrighteousness left. "In many things we 
offend all." (James iii. 2.) The context here 
shows that the "we" referred to does not 
mean himself, but the many masters, or teach- 
ers, against which he warns his brethren. 
This is here used by the inspired writer as a 



28 sanctification: what, when, how. 

figure of speech. He certainly could not in- 
clude himself, for he goes on to say: "There- 
with bless we God, even the Father; and there- 
with curse we men." No one understands that 
the apostle includes himself in cursing men, 
though he uses the pronoun ice; neither does 
he include all believers, for it immediately 
follows the mention of a man who "offended 
not," as the "we" first mentioned did, from 
whoin, therefore, he is professedly contradis- 
tinguished and pronounced a perfect man. 

We are told that David committed sins, and 
he was a man after God's own heart. David 
did sin most grievously; and while in that state 
he was not "a man after God's own heart," but 
under condemnation. Doubtless before he fell 
he was pleasing to God in all things; and after 
his repentance he was doubtless restored to con- 
fidence and favor with God. But because there 
was an isolated period of condemnation in Da- 
vid's life, it is no proof that he or any one else 
was under the necessity of sinning all their 
days. I close this review with a quotation 
from Mr. Wesley's "Plain Account of Chris- 
tian Perfection," page 24: "But the apostles 
themselves committed sin — Peter by dissem- 
bling, Paul by his sharp contention with Bar- 
nabas. Suppose they did. Will you argue thus : 



sanctification: what, when, how. 29 

If two of the apostles once committed sin, then 
all other Christians in all ages do and must 
commit sin as long as they live? Nay, God 
forbid we should thus speak. No necessity of 
sin was laid upon them; the grace of God was 
surely sufficient, and it is sufficient for us at 
this day." 

In the whole Bible there is no excuse made for 
sin, but the Bible everywhere condemns it, drags 
it to the light, and makes provision to destroy 
it. Thank God, there is a fountain opened for 
sin and uncleanness, and Jesus speaks to us 
to-day in forgiveness as he spoke in the days 
of his incarnation: "Go, and sin no more!" 



CHAPTER IV. 

SAXCTIFICATIOX — WHEN IT IS. 

"And he sent his servant at supper-time to say to them 
that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready." 
(Luke xiv. 17.) 

~1~ AM glad to meet yon this morning. It has 
_1^ truly been said: "Iron sharpeneth iron; 
so a man sharpeneth the countenance of a 
friend." I have lately been stirred up on the 
subject of Christian perfection. There are 
some things pertaining to this subject I have 
been able to settle satisfactorily in the Word 
of God; there are, however, some things of 
which I remain in doubt. 

B. I am glad to hear you thus speak, as the 
"Word of God must be the rule, and the suffi- 
cient rule, both of our faith and practice. 

A. Well, to continue, I can have no doubt 
that Christian perfection, or sanctification, is 
taught in the Word of God, since we there 
have examples of those who attained that state. 
To mention only a few: Job "was perfect and 
upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed 
evil." (Job i. 1.) Also, Zacharias and Eliza- 
ISO) 






SANCTIFICATIOX: WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 31 



beth " were both righteous before God, walk- 
ing in all the commandments and ordinances 
of the Lord blameless." (Luke i. G.) Of 
Nathanael our Saviour said: "Behold an 
Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" St. 
Paul says: " Howbeit, we speak w T isdom among 
them that are perfect.'' Now, how could St. 
Paul speak wisdom among them that were per- 
fect, if no one was perfect? This is all clear 
to me. The point upon which I want light is, 
When may one become entirely sanctified, or 
perfect in love. 

B. I am glad, my brother, that you ask the 
question so plainly and directly. By the help 
of the Lord I will endeavor to answer by saying 
that there are two extreme views abroad in ref- 
erence to this question. One of these ex- 
tremes is that a Christian cannot be wholly 
sanctified until the hour of death. The other 
extreme is that a person is fully cleansed in 
the hour when first forgiven and born again. 

A. What can be said of the first opinion? 

B. To say that the soul cannot be made per- 
fect until death is unwarranted by the Script- 
ures. It would argue that death, a conquered 
enemy, must be called in to accomplish that 
which the blood of Christ failed in effecting. 
Or it would argue that the blood of Christ, 



32 SANCTIFICATIOX: WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 

being feeble, must have the assistance of death 
to cleanse the soul from the last remains of 
sin. Either case would be dishonoring to the 
blood of Christ. 

A. What, then, is the scriptural account of 
this matter? 

B. " That he would grant unto us, that we, 
being delivered out of the hand of our ene- 
mies, might serve him without fear, in holi- 
ness and righteousness before him, all the days 
of our life." (Luke i. 74, 75.) "And the very 
God of peace sanctify you w T holly; and I pray 
God your whole spirit and soul and bod} 7 be pre- 
served [kept in that state] blameless until the 
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess. 
v. 23.) 

A. Ave not persons sanctified when they are 
first converted? 

B. They are 'sanctified in part, but not en- 
tirely, except it may be in a few rare instances. 

A. Let us be careful to define just here, for 
my trouble has been to discover the line be- 
tween a person newly converted and one made 
entirely holy. Please give the distinction. 

B. When a soul is first converted, it is jus- 
tified — that is, its sins are forgiven, as in the 
case of the publican who went up into the 
temple to pray. He said: '-God be merciful 



sanctification: what^when, how. 33 

to me a sinner; " and he went down to his house 
justified. Now, as he prayed for the pardon 
of his sins, and in answer to prayer received 
justification, it follows that justification and 
the pardon of sins must mean the same thing. 
Next, the moment a sinner is justified he re- 
ceives the love of God shed abroad in his heart. 
This constitutes the life of God in his soul, 
so that "he is a new creature in Christ." He 
is also cleansed from all the defilement that 
had accrued to his soul on account of the sins 
he had committed. Through this principle of 
regeneration he also receives power to control 
sinful inclinations and to keep from sinning. 
" Whosoever is born of God doth not commit 
sin." (1 John iii. 9.) "Sin shall not have do- 
minion over you." (Rom. vi. 14.) 

A. I understand, then, that to be justified 
means a great deal, and that no one can be 
justified in committing sin. 

B. They certainly cannot. "He that com- 
mitteth sin is of the devil." (1 John iii. 8.) 
The justified and the wholly sanctified are alike 
in the following: 1. They both have been for- 
given of all their sins. 2. They both have 
been cleansed from all the defilement conse- 
quent upon the sins they have committed. 3. 
They both love God. 4. They are both tempt- 



34 SANCTIFICATIOX: WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 

ed to sin. 5. They both do not sin. They are 
unlike in these: The wholly sanctified are 
cleansed from inbred sin; the justified are not. 
The sanctified are perfect in love; the justified 
are not. The sanctified are freed from inward 
temptations; the justified are not. 

A. I have understood that temptations may 
come from three sources — the world, the flesh, 
and the devil. Are Christians to expect free- 
dom from these in this life? 

B. As long as they live they will be tempted 
by the world and the devil; but when they 
reach the sanctified state, they are tempted no 
longer by the flesh, or, as we may otherwise 
term it, sinful inclinations. To set this in or- 
der: The unconverted man is controlled by sin- 
ful inclinations, and commits sin; the justified 
man controls sinful inclinations, and commits 
no sin; the wholly sanctified man is freed from 
sinful inclinations, and has, therefore, a re- 
serve power upon which he rests. 

A. Please explain these three states by il- 
lustration. 

B. There was a time in the history of our 
country when Kentucky — dark and bloody 
ground — was entirely possessed and overrun 
by the Indians. They hunted through its 
forests; they fished in its waters. By and by 



sanctification: what, when, how. 35 

Daniel Boone and other pioneers came within 
its borders. Immigration commenced. Then 
came a second period. War ensued between 
the whites and Indians. The struggle resulted 
in the subjugation of the natives. The whites 
were now the dominant party. The Indians 
still remained within the land. They were, 
however, in a state of subjection; but often 
they gave trouble by rebellion. The third 
period came, when the whites arose and drove 
the Indians from the country and destroyed 
them from the soil forever. They were not 
only the conquerors but the exterminators of 
the red men. They no longer had fear of in- 
surrection from their enemies. To transfer 
this picture to the struggle between nature and 
grace: The first period is when inbred sin rules 
the soul, and the man commits sin besides; 
the second period, when grace triumphs in 
the regeneration of the heart, and inbred sin 
becomes subject to the divine life; the third 
period, when grace makes an end of inbred 
sin, the heart becomes sanctified wholly, fear 
being cast out, "for fear hath torment." 

A. What is inbred sin? 

B. It is a term used to represent sin inher- 
ited from Adam, in contradistinction to the sin 
committed by the individual sinner. It means 



36 sanctification: what, when, how. 

inborn sin, original sin, a tendency to go 
astray. Mr. Whedon terms it a " sin war d- 
ness." The Bible speaks of it under a vari- 
ety of names; as, "carnal mind," "body of 
sin," "old man." 

A. What is said of this principle of sin by 
the Methodist Church and the Church of En- 
gland? 

B. Article VII. Of original or birthsin (Meth- 
odist Discipline): "Original sin standeth not 
in the following of Adam (as the Pelagians 
do vainly talk), but it is the corruption of the 
nature of every man that naturally is engen- 
dered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man 
is very far gone from original righteousness, 
and of his own nature inclined to evil, and 
that continually." 

A, Why do we conclude original sin is not 
destroyed in the hour of justification? 

B. Because: 1. It is against the testimony 
of all orthodox Churches. 2. It is contrary 
to the Word of God. 3. It is opposed to the 
general experience of Christians. In speak- 
ing on the first head, Mr. Wesley says that the 
doctrine " that there is no sin in believers is 
quite new in the Church of Christ; that it was 
never heard of for seventeen hundred vears — 
never till it was discovered by Count Zinzen- 



sanctification: what, when, how. 37 

dorf. I do not remember to have seen the 
least intimation of it either in any ancient or 
modern writer, unless, perhaps, in some of the 
wild, ranting Antinomians. And these like- 
wise say and unsay, acknowledging that there 
is sin in their flesh, although no sin in their 
heart. But whatever doctrine is new must be 
wrong; for the old religion is the only true 
one; and no doctrine can be right unless it be 
the very same which was from the beginning." 
(Sermon on Sin in Believers.) 

A. What class of scriptures teach that Chris- 
tians are not entirely sanctified when first con- 
verted? 

B. Those scriptures which are addressed to 
the justified, urging them on to perfection. 
If an army is stationed at Sacramento, the 
general might with propriety order his sol- 
diers on to San Francisco. But if the army 
is already in San Francisco, the order would 
be unmeaning. The fact that the Scriptures 
exhort persons on to perfection is evidence that 
they have not reached that state. And such 
exhortations are given to those who were al- 
ready in a justified state. " Therefore, leaving 
the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us 
go on unto perfection." Here the apostle ad- 
dresses his brethren, and exhorts them to per- 



38 SANCTIFICATION : WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 

fection, which indicates that though they were 
believers, still they were not perfect. " I beseech 
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, 
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your rea- 
sonable service." (Rom. xii. 1.) The charac- 
ters here addressed were brethren, and they 
were urged to make an offering which is an- 
swered by the sanctifying fire. 

The disciples were converted persons. Jesus 
said, "Your names are written in heaven;" 
yet he prayed, "Father, sanctify them." This 
prayer was answered on the day of Pentecost, 
when "they were all filled with the Spirit." 
Paul prayed for his Thessalonian brethren, 
"May the very God of peace sanctify you 
wholly," which shows that although these were 
in a justified state, they were not wholly sanc- 
tified. Many other scriptures might be ad- 
dressed to the purpose in hand, but these are 
sufficient. 

A. What is the general experience of the 
people of God upon this subject? 

B. They are blessed with peace and joy in 
the pardon of their sins — sometimes with great 
rapture. By and by, their heavenly feelings 
subside, and they are led into a wilderness 
state. They are sometimes troubled with 



SANCTIFICATIOX: WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 39 



doubts and tormented with fears, until they 
reach the state of perfect love which "casts 

out fear." 

A. How long need those who are justified 
wait until they seek entire sanctification? 

B. After they are justified they need wait 
only until they discover the remains of sin, 
and consequently their need of the " higher 
life." This discovery may be made with some 
individuals sooner than others. It is deter- 
mined, in a great measure, by the light thrown 
upon different individuals. 

A. I praise God for the help I have gained 
from your conversation. I am determined, by 
the help of God, to know this full salvation. 
I am determined to seek it now; for "now is 
the accepted time, now is the day of salvation." 

Now let me gain perfection's height* 

Now let me into nothing fall; 
As less than nothing in thy sight, 

And feel that Christ is all in ail. 



CHAPTER V, 

SANC TIF1CA TIOX — WHEN IT IS — VR ST A XDAfiDS. 

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let 
us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and 
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Cor. 
vii. 1.) 

" For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war ; and in 
multitude of counselors there is safety." (Pro v. xxiv. 6.) 

HAVING cited a few of those scriptures 
which teach that entire sanctification is 
a work which occurs subsequently to the con- 
version of the soul, we now present, upon the 
same point, the testimony of great and good 
men. 

We call attention first to the language of 
Mr. Wesley, who, under God, was the founder 
of the great organization called "Methodists." 
He says: "I cannot, therefore, by any means, 
receive this assertion: that there is no sin in a 
believer from the moment he is justified. 
First, because it is contrary to the whole tenor 
of Scripture. Second, because it is contrary to 
the experience of the children of God. Third, 
because it is absolutely new — never heard of 
in the world till yesterday. Fourth, because 
(40) 



sanctification: what, when, how. 41 

it is naturally attended with tlie most fatal 
consequences; not only grieving those whom 
God hath not grieved, but perhaps dragging 
them into everlasting perdition." Dean Stan- 
ley has said no one has risen in the Methodist 
Society equal to John Wesley. 

Rev. William Bramwell, one among the 
early and most successful Methodist preachers, 
writes: "An idea is going forth that when we 
are justified we are entirely sanctified, and to 
feel evil nature after justification is to lose 
pardon. You may depend upon it, this is the 
devil's great gun." 

Dr. Clarke says: "I have been twenty-three 
years a traveling preacher, and have been ac- 
quainted with some thousands of Christians 
during that time who were in different states 
of grace, and I never, to my knowledge, met 
with a single instance where God both justified 
and sanctified at the same time." (Everett's Life 
of Dr. Adam Clarke.) Dr. Clarke is recog- 
nized as one of the greatest commentators that 
ever lived. 

Richard Watson says: "We proceed to an- 
other as distinctly marked and as graciously 
promised in the Holy Scriptures. This is the 
entire sanctification, or perfected holiness, of be- 
lievers. That a distinction exists between a re- 



42 SANCTIFICATION : WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 

generate state and a state of entire and perfect 
holiness will be generally allowed. Regener- 
ation we have seen is concomitant with justifi- 
cation; but the apostles, in addressing the 
body of believers in the churches to whom 
they wrote their Epistles, set before them, both 
in the prayers they offer in their behalf and 
in the exhortations they administer, a still 
higher degree of deliverance from sin, as well 
as a higher growth in Christian virtues." 
(Watson's Institutes, Chapter XXIX., p. 611.) 
Watson's Institutes is one of the standards of 
the Methodist Church, and her ministers are 
required to pass examination upon it as one of 
the books in the course of study. 

T. N. Ralston says: " When we are justified 
we may from that hour go on unto perfection; 
and whenever we comply with the condition 
prescribed in the gospel — that is, when we ex- 
ercise the requisite degree of faith, be it one 
day or ten ye&rs after our conversion — that mo- 
ment God will cleanse us from all unrighteous- 
ness" (Ralston's" Elements of Divinity," page 
468.) The above is also one of the books pre- 
scribed in the course of study for Methodist 
preachers. It is a clear, plain, and valuable 
book. 

Rev. John Fletcher says: "We do not deny 



sanctification: what, when, how. 43 

that the remains of the carnal mind still cleave 
to imperfect Christians. This fault, corrup- 
tion, or infection doth remain in them who are 
regenerated." (Last Check, pages 507, 541.) 
Mr. Fletcher was one of the most eminent of Mr. 
Wesley's coadjutors. It has been said of him 
that he was to AVesley what Melanchthon was 
to Luther. 

Bishop Hedding says that regeneration "is 
the beginning of sanctification, though not the 
completion of it, or not entire sanctification" 

Dr. George Peck says that "the doctrine of 
entire sanctification, as a distinct work wrought 
in the soul by the Holy Ghost, is the great dis- 
tinguishing doctrine of Methodism" 

We now present the testimony of every or- 
dained preacher of the M. E. Church and the 
M. E. Church, South. When he receives the 
ordination vows, the following questions are 
asked him: "Are you going on unto perfec- 
tion? " " Do you expect to be made perfect in 
love in this life?" "Are you groaning after 
it?" If he considers that he was made per- 
fect in love when first converted, then why 
does he say he is groaning after it and expect- 
ing it? How can he expect what he has al- 
ready received ? These ministers render the 
same testimony at every reception of a mem- 



44 sanctification: what, when, how. 

ber into the Church. They then say: "Breth- 
ren, w^e commend unto you this person, whom we 
this day recognize as a member of the Church 
of Christ. Do all in your power to increase 
his faith, confirm his hope, and perfect him in 
love" Now, how can the minister exhort that 
this person be made perfect in love if he consid- 
ers he was already made perfect in love when 
first converted? 

We now present the testimony of the Meth- 
odist Hymn-book. Its contents are classified 
for the convenience of public worship, and un- 
der caption VII. — " Christian Experience" — is 
divided as follows: "1. Justification and the new 
birth; 2. Entire sanctification and perfect love; 
3. Duties and trials." The Church here rec- 
ognizes a distinction between justification and 
regeneration, a former, and entire sanctifica- 
tion, a later, work of grace. The distinction is 
more fully brought out by the teachings of the 
hymns. 

The sweet singer of Methodism has left these 
lines (Hymn-book, page 393) : 

Saviour of the sin-sick soul, 
Give me faith to make me whole: 
Finish thy great work of grace; 
Cut it short in righteousness. 



sanctification: what, when, how. 45 

Speak the second time, "Be clean!" 
Take away my inbred sin: 
Every stumbling-block remove; 
Cast it out by perfect love. 

Many other hymns of the Wesleys might be 
quoted which show that, w T hile their hearts 
were rapt with poetic fire, they saw the gleam- 
ing of gates which many Christians have never 
entered — the gates of perfect love. 



CHAPTER VI 

SAXCTIFICATIOX — HOW IT IS — FAITH. 

'"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye de- 
sire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye 
shall have them." (Mark xi. 24.) 

''And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, 
if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us; 
and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we 
know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." 
(1 John v. 14, 15.) 

DEAR brother, since our last meeting I 
have been seeking the experience of 
perfect love, but as yet have not obtained my 
request. Will you, my brother, assist me in 
getting out of my difficulties? for I am sure 
it is the will of God, even my sanctification. 
Do we attain this state by a process of growth? 
You remember we are told to "grow in grace 
and in a knowledge of the truth." 

B. With all my heart, dear brother, I will 
help you; and now, to this end, let us ask the 
assistance of the Holy Spirit. We are cer- 
tainly urged to grow in grace; but we cannot 

grow into sanctification. Growth in grace is 

(40) 



sanctification: what, when, how. 47 

one thing; to be sanctified is another. Entire 
sanctification all may obtain in this life; but 
perfect growth in grace will never be attained. 
AVe will grow in grace through eternity. 
Growth in grace is almost the opposite of sanc- 
tification. Sanctification purifies the heart; 
growth in grace enlarges it. Sanctification is 
subtraction ; growth in grace is addition. Sanc- 
tification is the death of the " old man ; " growth 
in grace is the development of the "new man." 
There may be growth in grace both before and 
after entire sanctification; but we cannot grow 
the heart pure; we cannot grow the weeds out 
of the garden. The vegetables grow, but the 
weeds grow also. Sanctify the garden — that 
is, cleanse it of all weeds — then the vegetables 
will grow faster than ever. AVe are to grow 
in not into grace. The man can swim in the 
water, but he cannot swim into the water. He 
gets into the water that he may swim; so we 
get into sanctification that we may grow in 
grace. 

A. Are there any examples of those who 
have been by a process of growth gradually 
brought into entire sanctification? 

B. AVe know of none. "Facts are stubborn 
things." It may be said that persons may 
gradually approach that state; but they re- 



48 SANCTIFICATIOX: WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 

ceive it instantaneously — as on the day of Pen- 
tecost the three thousand who were there con- 
verted. Many of them had received impres- 
sions before, and gradually saw the need of 
conversion. But when Peter preached, they 
stepped instantaneously into the light, and re- 
ceived salvation. A person maybe many years 
receiving conviction for justification. They are 
led on step after step to see its necessity; but 
there comes a moment when they step over the 
line and are converted. As in justification, so 
in sanctification; there may be a gradual accu- 
mulation of light, the soul more and more dis- 
covering its inbred sin; but there comes a 
time when the soul yields to this light, and 
is instantaneously cleansed from all corrup- 
tion. 

A. What did Mr. Wesley say upon this sub- 
ject? 

B. In speaking of those who had obtained 
full cleansing, he says: "In the years 1759, 
1760, 1761, and 1762 their numbers multiplied 
exceedingly, not only in London and Bristol, 
but in various parts of Ireland as well as En- 
gland. Not trusting to the testimony of oth- 
ers, I carefully examined most of these my- 
self; and in London alone I found six hundred 
and fifty-two members of our Society who were 






sanctification: what, when, how. 49 

exceeding clear in their experience, and of 
whose testimony I could see no reason to doubt. 
I believe no year has passed since that time 
wherein God has not wrought the same work 
in many others; but sometimes in one part of 
England or Ireland, sometimes in another — as 
' the wind bloweth where it listeth ' — and every 
one of these (after the most careful inquiry 
I have not found one exception, either in Great 
Britain or Ireland) has declared that his de- 
liverance from sin was instantaneous — that the 
change was wrought in a moment. Had half 
of these, or one-third, or one in twenty, de- 
clared it was gradually wrought in them, I should 
have believed this with regard to them, and 
thought that some were gradually sanctified 
and some instantaneously. But as I have not 
found, in so long a space of time, a single per- 
son speaking thus, as all who believe they are 
sanctified declare with one voice that the change 
was wrought in a moment, I cannot bat believe 
that sanctification is commonly, if not always, 
an instantaneous work." (See Sermon on Pa- 
tience.) 

A. When I ask the Lord for a clean heart I 
do not feel any change in my experience. Why 
is this? 

B. If we ask and receive not, it is because 
4 



50 sanctification: what, when, how. 

we ask amiss; we do not ask in faith. The 
scriptural direction is: "Let him ask in faith, 
nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is like 
a wave of the sea driven with the wind and 
tossed. For let not that man think that he 
shall receive any thing of the Lord." (James 
i. 6, 7.) The truth is, the Bible nowhere com- 
mands as to feel, but continually to "believe," 
" believe." "All things are possible to him that 
believeth." When God would have us come 
to him upon the straight line of faith, the devil 
tries to side-track us upon feeling. Now, the 
way to do is to trust God; not wait for any 
sign or feeling. If we come by faith, we can- 
not come by sight. If we trust God, he will 
take care of the consequences. By faith Noah 
built the ark before he saw the congregating 
clouds or heard the reverberating thunders. 
By faith Abraham went out of his own coun- 
try, "not knowing whither he went." He did 
not stop to question, " Now, Lord, if you will 
only show me the country where I am to be 
led, then I will consent to go;" but he went 
out, and God took care of his wandering steps. 
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, and 
the people raised a shout before they heard the 
crashing walls or saw the crumbling towers. 
In short, " faith is the evidence of things not 



sanctification: what, when, how. 51 

seen," as well as 'things not felt. It is for us 
to believe first and to receive next. Many 
would reverse this order, and receive first and 
believe last. For any one to say, "I will not 
believe, because I do not feel that I am sancti- 
fied," is like a person saying: "I will not put 
my food in my mouth, because I do not taste 
it; I will not touch the keys of this organ, be- 
cause I do not hear the music; I will not open 
this book, because I do not read it; I will not 
hold this flower near my nose, because I do not 
smell it; I will not come near the fire, because 
I do not feel its warmth." O my brother, be- 
lieve God jirst, and then you will feel his power! 
Abraham put his sacrifice upon the altar, and 
when the vultures came down he drove them 
away. He knew it was God's sacrifice, though 
as yet the fire had not come down. He waited 
patiently on the Lord. The trial of his faith 
was more precious than that of gold. A hor- 
ror of great darkness fell upon him. Still he 
held on, and " when the sun went clown, and it 
was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a 
burning lamp that passed be fcween those pieces. " 
(Gen. xv. 17.) O my brother, w r e must have 
faith to claim and patience to inherit God's 
promises! Put all on the altar. Claim God's 
word that the altar sanctifies the gift. It may 



52 sanctification: what, when, how. 

be that God will withhold for a time the wit- 
ness of the Spirit. Here is the trial of faith. 
Remain on the altar. As you have asked for en- 
tire sanctification, and believed that yon received 
it, still claim it npon God's word. Stand on 
his naked promise: " Yet a little while, and he 
that shall come will come, and will not tarry." 
(Heb. x. 37.) Glory to God, Jesus has said: " If 
a man love me, he will keep my words; and 
my Father will love him, and we will come un- 
to him, and make our abode with him." (John 
xiv. 23.) 

A. Will you please mention some script- 
ures which teach that we are sanctified by 
faith? 

B. I will quote only a few of the many 
that might be mentioned: " Jesus said unto 
him, If thou canst believe, all things are possi- 
ble unto him that believeth." (Mark ix. 23.) 
" Therefore I say unto you, What things so- 
ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that 
ye receive them, and ye shall have them." 
(Mark xi. 24.) "And put no difference be- 
tween us and them, purifying their hearts by 
faith." (Acts xv. 9.) "Inheritance among 
them that are sanctified by faith that is in 
me." (Acts xxvi. 18.) "And this is the con- 
fidence that we have in him, that if we ask any 



sanctification: what, when, how. 53 

thing according to his will, he heareth us; 
and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever 
we ask, we know that we have the petitions 
that we desired of him." (1 John v. 14, 15.) 



CHAPTER VII. 

SANCTIFICATION — HOW IT IS — COXFESSIOX. 

"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; 
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." 
(Rom. x. 10.) 

" That the communication of thy faith may become ef- 
fectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is 
in you in Christ Jesus." (Philemon 6.) 

~1\ /T~ANY persons, in seeking to lay all upon 
IV I the altar, are hindered by a secret un- 
willingness to confess Christ as their Sancti- 
fier. The difficulty is the same in seeking 
perfect cleansing as in seeking justification. 
Many are desirous of the enjoyments of these 
states, but want to receive them secretly, and 
confess nothing through fear of the multitude. 
Now, in the one case as in the other, testimony 
must be placed upon the altar. 

We are Christ's witnesses. As such, Paul 
exhorts his brethren to hold fast the profes- 
sion of their faith without wavering. We are 
to tell what the Lord has done for us. First, 
because to do so glorifies God. It declares 
the skill, power, and mercy of the great Phy- 
sician who has so fully healed us. Second, 
(54) 



sanctification: what, when, how. 55 

it promotes the welfare of oar fellow-beings; 
for how can they come to the knowledge of the 
full salvation unless we hold forth the light. 
Third, it is to increase our own personal ex- 
perience to tell what God has done for us. 
"Out of* the abundance of the heart the mouth 
speaketh." Besides, those who have obtained 
the grace of perfect cleansing have lost the 
witness by refusing to testify to what God had 
done for them. Instance Mr. Fletcher, who 
had the experience four or five times, but lost 
it by failing to acknowledge the gracious work. 
The objections urged against a profession of 
sanctification may be held with equal force 
against a profession of justification. Praise 
the Lord that we have so many witnesses to 
the cleansing power of Jesus' blood! It is the 
part of a witness to tell the truth, the whole 
truth, and nothing but the truth. 

Testimony to perfect love should be given 
humbly. We are testifying not for self, but 
for God. Let us therefore guard against a 
spirit of self - adulation or self-importance. 
The heights of perfection are the depths of 
humble love. Instead of saying, "I am sanc- 
tified/' it is better to say, "The Lord has sanc- 
tified me; praise his name!" We thus avoid 
needless offense. 



56 sanctification: what, when, how. 

Testimony should be clear and definite. 
Many say "the higher life," "rest of faith;" 
whereas it is better not to avoid the use of 
those words "sanctification," "perfect love," 
"dead to sin," "clean heart," etc., since they 
are words which are employed by the Holy 
Ghost; and, as Mr. Wesley has said, we do not 
wish to send the Holy Ghost back to school 
that he may find other words. Jesus says: 
"Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of 
my words, of him shall the Son of man be 
ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory." 
(Luke ix. 26.) 

It is only a frank and definite testimony 
that will be satisfactory to yourself and help- 
ful to others. All science has its terminology, 
and without definite words we may wrap up 
our meaning in faint or general terms until it 
is lost. A brother pastor tells me the spirit- 
ual condition of his charge is " tolerably good." 
Still I am left to fix the meaning of the phrase 
"tolerably good." You meet a man in the 
road, and inquire how far it is from here to 
San Francisco. " O," he replies, "it is not 
far." Then you do not know much more than 
you did before you asked the question. He 
was indefinite. If a person says that the blood 
of Jesus Christ cleanses from sin, he expresses 



sanctification: what, when, how. 57 

a truth, but as yet does not express its personal 
relation to himself. If he says, "It cleanses 
me from all sin," then he is definite, and his 
testimony will be blessed. Paul was definite 
when he said: "Let us therefore, as many as 
be perfect, be thus minded." (Phil. iii. 15.) 
John was definite when he said: "Herein is 
our love made perfect, that we may have bold- 
ness in the day of judgment; because as he is, 
so are we in this world." (1 John iv. 17.) 
Wesley was definite when he said: "We are 
saved from sin; we are made holy by faith. 
This I testified in private, in public, in print, 
and God confirmed it by a thousand witnesses." 
(Vol. VII, p. 38.) Mr. Wesley says: "One 
great means of retaining it is frankly to de- 
clare what God has given you, and earnestly to 
exJiort all the believers you meet with to fol- 
low after full salvation." (Vol. II, p. 13.) 

Thank God, while the Methodists have been 
raised up to spread scriptural holiness over 
the lands, they have no "patent right " on the 
blessed doctrine of entire sanctification ! The 
experience is spreading in other communions, 
and God is raising up everywhere witnesses to 
the truth of full salvation. The doctrine is 
destined to cover the earth and bring in the 
millennium. The time is coming when there 



58 sanctification: what, when, how. 

shall be written on the bells of the horses, 
"Holiness unto the Lord." Amen. 

Waft, waft, ye winds, his story, 

And you, ye waters, roll, 
Till, like a sea of glory, 

It spreads from pole to pole. 

We have often heard the remark that peo- 
ple ought to live sanctification, and not profess 
it. It is certainly true that we ought to live 
it; but this is only a part of our duty. When 
a sinner is converted, we expect him to pro- 
fess Christ, as well as live his religion. As in 
justification, so in sanctification. To live a 
holy life is good; to profess holiness is good 
also. The life and the profession should go 
together; and " what God hath joined together, 
let not man put asunder." 

Upon one occasion our Saviour was travel- 
ing near Jerusalem, and he w T as hungry; "and 
seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves, he 
came, if haply he might find any thing there- 
on; and when he came to it, he found nothing 
but leaves." And Jesus cursed the fig-tree 
and said, "No man eat fruit of .thee hereafter 
forever. And his disciples heard it." "And 
in the morning, as they passed by, they saw 
the fig-tree dried up from the roots." We ob- 
serve this fig-tree had leaves, but had no fruit. 



sanctification: what, when, how. 59 

The leaves may be considered the profession; 
the fruit, the life or good deeds of an individ- 
ual. The leaves and fruit are both essential 
to the value of the tree. The leaves are not 
only for beauty, but constitute the lungs of 
the tree. When Jesus cursed the fruitless 
tree it soon withered away. Had the tree been 
deprived of its leaves, then it would have been 
already cursed, and have died as a consequence. 
The pattern is not a fruitless tree, neither is it a 
leafless tree, but a tree which has fruit and 
foliage together. He " bringeth forth his fruit 
in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; 
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Ps. 
i. 3.) It is ours to praise the Lord by a life 
devoted to his service, and to offer to him the 
fruit of our lips continually. Like David: 
" Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I 
will declare what he hath done for my soul." 
(Ps. lxvi. 16.) 

So let our lips and lives express 
The holy gospel we profess. 



CHAPTER VIII, 

MY EXPERIENCE, 

10 WE it to my brethren to testify to salvation 
from all sin. When nineteen years of age 
I was deeply convicted of my sins. I mourned 
over them at home, in the great congrega- 
tions, and in the lonely forests. I hid my- 
self from men, and supplicated help from God. 
I resolved that I never would give over the 
struggle until I found peace from on high. 
During the progress of a protracted meeting 
I presented myself again and again at the al- 
tar for prayer. Many friends came forward to 
instruct me in the way. Among others, the 
minister came; my mother came. They told 
me "to believe;" but their words seemed as 
idle tales. I found no comfort until at last I 
determined to throw myself upon the mercy 
of God despite any feeling of doubt or feel- 
ing of darkness or lack of feeling. It was 
the last resolve of a broken and subjugated 
heart. I was like a bird that had beaten its 
head against the nettings of its cage until it 
was glad to find the open door. I swung off 
into the darkness saying, " Though He slay me, 
(60) 



sanctification: what, when, how. 61 

yet will I trust in him." Here the light broke 
upon me. O what a peace! What a sweet, 
blessed rest came to my soul! The congrega- 
tion was singing, " How r happy are they who 
their Saviour obey." There was a glory upon 
every thing. The faces of the people shone 
as with a heavenly light. I could see now as 
I had never seen before the fields, the trees, 
the stars praising Him. "The whole earth 
was full of his glory." 

After a few weeks these delightful feelings 
had subsided ; but still there remained a sense 
of peace and the blessed conviction that God 
was my Father. It would require great space 
to relate all the religious scenes through which 
I passed. Sometimes in a measure backslid- 
den in heart, and again brought into the tri- 
umphs of love; but in the main I was carried 
along with a good degree of fervency and zeal. 
I hungered after a higher state, but had no 
one professing perfect love to instruct me. I 
had commenced preaching about one year after 
my conversion. In the course of study pre- 
scribed for the ministry I came in contact with 
the doctrine of entire sanctification. I fully 
believed it — believed that the blood of Jesus 
could cleanse from all sin; but was inclined to 
the opinion that the cleansing was made per- 



62 sanctification: what, when, how. 



feet in the hour of regeneration, and after con- 
version there could follow only a growth in 
grace. However, there were seasons when I 
would alternate, and for awhile believe that 
there was a second blessing or degree which 
I had never entered. I went so far in that di- 
rection that one day I bowed down in the 
woods behind a tree and prayed for entire sanc- 
tification. I there remembered the scriptural 
rule for prayer: "What things soever ye de- 
sire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive 
them, and ye shall have them." I claimed to 
receive it; rose from my knees, but feeling no 
change, Satan began to tell me that this pro- 
cedure of mine was fanatical. So I was in- 
duced to throw away my confidence. 

Years went by. I read and thought much 
upon the subject; but finally settled down in 
the opinion that every true believer, if not 
backslidden, is free from sin. The argument 
in my mind shaped itself in this manner : First, 
when God forgives a person's sins, he forgives 
them all, and as yet the person has committed 
no more sin; hence he is free from sin. Sec- 
ond, perfect love must follow perfect faith. 
But God will pardon no sinner until there is a 
perfect surrender and perfect faith. Hence, 
wherever there is pardon at all, there must be 



sanctification: what, when, how. 63 

perfect faith, and consequently perfect love. 
With these views I strengthened myself until I 
went to California in 1882. There I came in 
contact with some who professed entire sanc- 
tification. At first I felt that their testimony 
was repulsive, and was needlessly thrust be- 
fore the people. I had been a slave to tobac- 
co — smoked and chewed from the age of ten. 
This vile habit had often troubled my con- 
science, and I had often resolved to quit its 
use. But the tobacco was stronger than my 
resolution, and I was brought back again and 
again into bondage. At last I made a desper- 
ate attempt, and broke away from my old mas- 
ter. I felt it was a great triumph. Still I 
was not entirely sanctified; but felt hungry 
for more grace. At last one evening I listened 
to a sermon upon the subject of sanctification. 
Under the living testimony the Holy Spirit 
flashed the truth upon my mind. I saw there 
was a second and distinct state which I had 
never entered. It was the crisis. I rose from 
my seat, regardless of the opinions of others, 
and made my confession of the need of entire 
sanctification, and humbly claimed to embrace 
it with all its consequences. I claimed the 
promise of God in relation to my own soul, and 
avowed, as he had declared that "the blood of 



64 sanctification: what, when, how. 

Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin," as God had 
said it, so I would say it, and I there planted my- 
self upon the promise for full salvation, and af- 
firmed it to be a fact. I expected to feel much 
better; but when I came to examine myself I 
felt worse. Rather there was a dearth or emp- 
tiness of feeling. It was a trying time. Still 
I avowed my sanctification as wrought accord- 
ing to the word of God. This trial of faith 
continued about three days, when, while one 
evening engaged in public prayer, the power of 
the Highest overshadowed me. There was the 
sweetest and most satisfying sense of the Di- 
vine presence. Glory to God! He had given 
the witness. My soul bathed in the delightful 
rest of the Holy Ghost. Every chamber of my 
being was filled with the cloud of glory. My 
soul was satisfied as never before. I now re- 
alized that whereas I had been walking along 
the road to heaven, often begrimed with sweat 
and dust, now the King's chariot had halted 
near me, and I had stepped in where I could 
career along the highway of holiness. As I 
looked upon my robes of white I felt satisfied 
with what God had done for me. I praised 
him for all. In short, I rejoiced evermore, 
prayed without ceasing, and in every thing 
gave thanks. But I cannot tell it all. Since 



SANCTIFICATIOX: WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 65 

that time my peace has flowed as a river. I 
have felt the presence of the adorable Saviour 
as an everlasting reality. 

O wondrous bliss! O joy sublime! 
I've Jesus with me all the time. 

I have felt a nearness of God in prayer, an ab- 
sence of anxiety, and a conviction that he is 
guiding all things, a sense of security in his 
power. Communion with him whom my soul 
loveth is made easy and more delightful. The 
divine word is illuminated and made sweeter, 
and hence plainer, to my soul. I now have 
such a sense of the abiding presence and per- 
sonality of the Holy Ghost as I never had be- 
fore. I have been kept in this gracious and 
satisfying state now for more than two years, 
assured each day that my God doeth all things 
well. In the pastor's study or in the pulpit, 
traveling through the lonely mountains or 
amidst the clouds of dust in the Sacramento 
Yalley, I have tasted the sweetness of the Holy 
Ghost and breathed the smoke from the gold- 
en censer. My testimony to-day is that I 
throw my helpless soul upon the promise of 
my God, and the blood of Jesus Christ his 
Son now cleanses me from all sin. All glory 
to God! Dear reader, may you and I walk 
together the plains of light in this world, and 
5 



66 sanctification: what, when, how. 

sing forever redemption's song: "Unto him 
that loved us, and washed us from our sins 
in his own blood, and hath made us kings and 
priests unto God and his Father; to him he 
glory and dominion and power forever and 
ever." 



CHAPTER IX. 

TESTIMONIES. 

-TTT ILLI AM C AEVOSSO : " No sooner had 
V V I uttered or spoken the words from my 
heart, 'I shall have the blessing now,' than re- 
fining fire went through my heart, illuminat- 
ing my soul, scattered its life through every 
part, and sanctified the whole." (Memoir, page 
36.) William Carvosso was a class-leader for 
fifty years in the Wesleyan Church, in En- 
gland. 

2. John Fletcher: "I will confess him to all 
the world; and I declare unto you, in the pres- 
ence of God, the Holy Trinity, I am now ' dead 
indeed unto sin.' I do not say, 'I am crucified 
with Christ,' because some of our well-mean- 
ing brethren say, ' By this can only be meant a 
gradual dying,' but I profess unto you I am 
dead unto sin and alive unto God." (Journal 
of H. A. Rogers, page 136.) 

3. Bishop Hamline: "All at once I felt as 
though a hand, not feeble but omnipotent, not 
of wrath but of love, were laid upon my brow. 
I felt it not only outwardly, but inwardly. It 
seemed to press upon my whole body, and to 

(67) 



68 sanctification: what, when, how. 

diffuse all through and through it a holy, sin- 
consuraing energy." ("Guide to Holiness," 
1855.) Bishop Hamline was a bishop in the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 

4. Dr. Thomas C. Upham: "I was then re- 
deemed by a mighty power, and filled with the 

blessing of perfect love There was no 

intellectual excitement, no marked joys, when 
I reached this great rock of practical salvar 
tion; but I was distinctly conscious when I 
reached it." ("Guide to Holiness.") Prof. 
Upham was a Congregationalist. 

5. Rev. Joseph Benson: " My soul was, as it 
were, led into God, and satiated with his good- 
ness. He so strengthened my faith as to per- 
fectly banish all my doubts and fears, and so 
filled me with humble, peaceful love that I could 
and did devote my soul and body, and health and 
strength, to his glory and service." (Biogra- 
phy, page 55.) 

6. Dr. Sheridan Baker: "I was now fully 
persuaded of my entire sanctification. The 
attitude of my soul is now that of complete, 
unreserved, and eternal surrender to God. 
Self, property, and every thing pertaining to 
me, have gone out of my heart into my hands, 
and are held in trust and used for the glory 
of God." ("Divine Life," March, 1879.) 



sanctifjcation: what, when, how. 69 

7. Dr. Adam Clarke: "I regarded nothing, 
not even life itself, in comparison of having 
my heart cleansed from all sin, and began to 
seek it with full purpose of heart. . . . Soon 
after this, while earnestly wrestling with the 
Lord in prayer, and endeavoring self-desper- 
ately to believe, I found a change wrought in my 
soul, which I endeavored, through grace, to 
maintain amid the grievous temptations and 
accusations of the subtle foe." 

8. Mrs. Phoebe Palmar: "I could no longer 
hesitate; reason as well as grace forbade; and 
I rejoiced in the assurance that / was wholly 
sanctified throughout body, soul, and spirit . . . 
I felt that I was enabled tp plunge and lose my- 
self in this ocean of purity. Yes, 

Plunged in the Godhead's deepest sea, 
And lost in love's immensity." 

9. Bishop Asbury: " I live in patience, in pu- 
rity, and in the perfect love of God. ... I think 
we ought modestly to tell what we feel to the 
f ul lest. ' ' (Journal. ) 

10. Dr. E. M. Levy: "I seemed filled with 
all the fullness of God. I wept for joy. . . . 
My soul seemed filled with pulses, every one 
thrilling and throbbing with such waves of 
love and rapture that I thought I must die 
from excess of life.' 1 ("Advocate of Holiness, 1 ' 



70 sanctification: what, when, how. 

1872.) Dr. Levy is pastor of the Berean Bap- 
tist Church in Philadelphia, Pa. 

11. Bev. William Bramwell: " It is now about 
twenty-six years ago; I have walked in this lib- 
erty ever since. ... I then declared to the peo- 
ple what God had done for my soul, and I have 
done so on every proper occasion since that 
time, believing it to be a duty." (Life of 
Bramwell .) 

12. Bishop B. S. Foster: "Here again the 
Spirit seemed to lead me into the inmost sanct- 
uary of my soul — into those chambers where 
I had before discovered such defilement — and 
showed me that all was cleansed, that the cor- 
ruptions which had given me such distress 
were dead — taken away — that not one of them 
remained. I felt the truth of the witness; it 
was so; I was conscious of it, as conscious as 
ever I had been of my conversion." (" Guide," 
1850.) 



CHAPTER X. 

THE LAXD OF CANAAN. AS IT IS. 
"Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well 
able to overcome it." (Num. xiii. 30.) 

THIS inheritance of the people of God has 
been called by a great many names, such 
as "the rest of faith," "the higher life," "per- 
fect love," " sanctification," "heart purity," 
"the Beulah land." These expressions, un- 
derstood by the more advanced Christians, we 
use interchangeably with "the land of Canaan 

as it is." 

We are glad to know that the kingdom of 
God is upon earth, and we are not inquiring 
of what that kingdom shall consist, and where 
it shall be located in the life to come, for " we 
know not what we shall be:" but our concern- 
ment is, What of the kingdom now? and what 
right and title have we to possess it at this 
present time? We answer: Our right comes 
by inheritance. The land of Canaan was 
given to Abraham and his seed, to be theirs 
forever. "For all the land which thou seest, 
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever." 
"4ris^ walk through the land in the length of 

(71) 



72 sanctification: what, when, how. 

it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it 
unto thee." (Gen. xiii. 15, 17.) Now, as this 
land was given to Abraham's seed, we may 
claim it as ours, provided we are identified as 
that seed. Here we are not left in doubt : "And 
if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, 
and heirs according to the promise " (Gal. 
iii. 29.) 

St. Paul, in Hebrews, fourth chapter, speaks 
of the Canaan land, telling us that it remains 
unto the people of God. "Let us therefore," 
says he, "labor to enter into that rest; for we 
which have believed do enter into rest." Mr. 
Wesley thus describes it: 

"A rest where all the soul's desire 
Is fixed on things above, 
Where fear and sin and grief expire, 
Cast out by perfect love." 

We are moved by two considerations to at- 
tempt a description of this land. First, the 
inheritance is ours. Second, "seeing that 
some must enter therein." " The land of Ca- 
naan as it is" is situated in the zones of this 
planet within the parallels of the longitude of 
the perfect love of God and the latitude of 
perfect faith. It is bounded on the east by 
the river of inbred sin, the course of which is 
winding as the folds of the serpent. It is 



sanctification: what, when, how. 73 

bounded on the north by the mountains of 
worldliness, the high peaks of which are com- 
posed of points of honor, the lust of the eye, 
the pride of life. It is bounded on the west 
by the ocean of ignorance, from which arises 
many fogs of infirmities and mistakes. It is 
bounded on the south by the desert of tempta- 
tion. Here the mirage glitters to deceive and 
destroy many travelers. It was in this desert 
that our Saviour was met by Satan and was 
" tempted in all points like as we are, yet with- 
out sin." 

Hence we discover, from the dangerous char- 
acter of these boundaries, that the inhabitants 
of Canaan are safe only so long as they remain 
within their borders. As to the land itself, we 
are pleased to say it is delightful. Indeed, it 
is favored as no other country on earth. The 
surface is the best possible to conceive, since 
it was constructed not by ordinary and natural 
process, but was arranged on purpose by Him 
who built all things. No monotony, no weari- 
ness to the eye; beauty, loveliness, and sub- 
limity everywhere prevailing. Mountains tow- 
ering upon the one hand and valleys smiling 
upon the other. There birds of richest plum- 
age wing their way through the atmosphere, 
or warble their praises from the bowers and 



74 SANCTIFICATIOX: WHAT, WHEN, HOW. 

groves. There brightest flowers grow beside 
the sparkling streams, and cluster near the 
promenades. The traveler through that land 
observes the lily of whiteness, representing 
heart purity; also the rose of perfect love, 
which sheds its sweet fragrance upon the air, 
not only delighting the spirit, but acting as a 
disinfectant, casting out fears " because fear 
hath torment." He hears " the liquid lapse of 
murmuring streams," he sees the honey shin- 
ing in the rock, and is able to testify. Truly 
this is " a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, 
and fig-trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil 
olive, and honey; a land wherein thou shalt 
eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not 
lack any thing in it; a land w r hose stones are 
iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig 
brass." (Deut. viii. 8, 9.) 

In walking through this land I observed that 
it abounded not only in rural comforts, but also 
in prosperous cities, principal among which is 
Jerusalem, or the City of Peace. The inhab- 
itants of Canaan I soon discovered were a pe- 
culiar people, unlike the other inhabitants of 
the world in disposition, in language, in dress; 
altogether, they are " a peculiar people, zealous 
of good works." (Titus ii. 14.) 

I entered into conversation with one of the 



sanctification: what, when, how. 75 

citizens, who seemed to be very willing to talk 
of his interesting country, and was pleased to 
have a stranger come and settle within its bor- 
ders. Said I: "Are you people that live in 
this land not given to boasting? " " Yes," said 
he, with a smile, "but not of ourselves, for we 
have nothing but that we have received. ' My 
soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the 
humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.' Oth- 
ers may hear thereof, and do not understand, 
still we have learned to ' rejoice evermore, 
pray without ceasing, and in every thing give 
thanks.'" Said he: "You see, these people 
are peculiar in their appearance. They wear 
crowns because they are kings. Their crowns 
are the tokens of their authority. They rule 
their appetites and propensities and passions; 
they bring their bodies under and keep them 
in subjection. You have read, 'He that is 
slow to anger is better than the mighty; and 
he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a 
city.' You observe these are priests as well 
as kings. (1 Pet. ii. 9.) They are priests to 
offer their 'bodies a living sacrifice, holy, ac- 
ceptable unto God, which is their reasonable 
service.' (Rom. xii. 1.) You see, furthermore, 
they have the appearance of prophets. This 
\s that which was spoken by the mouth of Joel. 



76 sanctification: what, when, how. 

'I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; 
and your sons and daughters shall prophesy.' 
(Acts ii. 17.) I do not mean that they proph- 
esy in the sense of foretelling future events ; 
for ' he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to 
edification, exhortation, and comfort.' These 
people can thus speak; their tongues are un- 
loosed, and they testify to the wonderful works 
of God. Why, on the day of Pentecost they 
were in such an uproar that the people came 
running together, and said, What meaneth this? 
Others mocked, and some thought they were 
drunk; and many a time since the same out- 
cry has been made against them." "But," 
said I to my instructor, " how is it that these 
persons have this triune office of prophet, 
priest, and king?" "This," said he, as he 
looked into the Word of God, "is conferred 
upon them that they may be like their Elder 
Brother, who himself filled these three offices 
in an eminent degree. You w T ill find it ex- 
plained in Hebrews ii. 11: 'For both he that 
sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all 
of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to 
call them brethren.' " 

My companion now pointed forward, and 
said: "You now see before you a wonderful 
river. It is clear as crystal. * The streams 



sanctification: what, when, how. 77 

whereof shall make glad the city of God.' 
(Ps. xlvi. 4.) This river is sometimes called 
the ' river of the water of life.' Another and 
most appropriate name for it is the 'river of 
the will of God.' What is remarkable about 
this ' river of the will of God ' is that it con- 
trols every thing in this delightful country. 
It gives life and growth to the trees, and makes 
them ever green and ever laden with fruit. By 
drinking of this river, the people here are saved 
from fretfulness and anxious thoughts. Their 
burdens here fall off and are borne away on 
these rapid currents. • It sweetens their tem- 
pers and gladdens their hearts and dries up 
their tears. The effect of this river is to cause 
those who drink to say, ' Thy will be done,' 
and to know that it is done in their hearts as 
it is in heaven — not that it always removes af- 
fliction, but they rest in the assurance that ■ all 
things work together for their good.' (Rom. 
viii. 28.) Hence, they glory in tribulation. 
There was one of these people who had a thorn 
piercing his flesh; but while drinking of this 
wondrous river he gloried in his infirmity, and 
found that grace was sufficient. On another 
occasion two persons who drank of this water 
were put in prison, and their feet made fast 
in the stocks; but I understand they prayed 



78 sanctification: what, when, how. 

and sung praises in the midnight hour. I 
now call your attention," said my obliging 
friend, "to the light which falls upon this 
country. It is true the natural sun dispenses 
his light; but these are not dependent upon 
him, for the Sun of righteousness shines upon 
them with healing in its wings. (Mai. iv. 2.) 
Clouds may shut out the natural light, but 
their Sun of righteousness shines through 
clouds, and never goes down. So these con- 
tinually walk in the light, as he is in the light, 
and have fellowship one with another, ' and the 
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us 
from all sin.' And glory be to the worthy 
name of Jesus, this country is hard by heav- 
en above, so that the breezes which blow from 
heaven bear hither sweet odors from the King's 
gardens! Yes; heaven is in sight, and our 
people have no trouble to go there when the 
Lord calls them. They are ready at a mo- 
ment's notice. The ladder which Jacob saw 
is set down here; and ever and anon bright 
troops of angels come down its rungs, and fly 
through our land on missions of love." 

As I looked upon the face of my companion 
he seemed to be rapt in praises to God. " Bear 
with me," said I. '* Since this is such a delight- 
ful country, why is it that the vast multitudes 



sanctification: what, when, how. 79 

wandering in the wilderness have not come 
and settled here for life?" "That is easy to 
explain. These that are here have come from 
the wilderness beyond the river of inbred sin. 
Some of them wandered there many years. 
Those that still remain in the wilderness enter 
not in because of unbelief. (Heb. iv. 6.) It is 
quite a trial to step into that river, for the 
stream is not divided until their feet are placed 
in the waters. Many hesitate, and say, ' O! if 
I could only see the waters parted, then I would 
step in ; ' and thus they are kept back by un- 
belief. Others, again, are hindered by the 
fear of man; for those who wrote over the 
cross of the Saviour in Hebrew, Greek, and 
Latin are still in authority, and they write in 
all languages upon the sign-board by the river, 
1 All who come this way are fools, cranks, mad- 
men, and fanatics.' But, thank God, there are 
many determined to obey God rather than 
men, and they get safely over. Many Joshuas 
are now gone to the wilderness, bearing with 
them the grapes of Eschol. Their mission is 
to encourage the people to enter Canaan as it 
is; for they say, 'Let us at once go up, and 
possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." 
Then I said in my soul: "Bless the Lord, 1 
am resolved to remain in it! Yes; glory to 



80 banctification: what, when, how. 

God, I will take a preemption-right, and live 
here forever! 



'• I can see far down the mountain, where I wandered many 

years. 
Often hindered in my journey by the ghost .of doubts and 

fears. 
Broken vows and disappointments thickly sprinkled all the 

way. 
But the Spirit led unerring to the land I hold to-day. 
Is not this the land of Beulah. blessed, blessed land of 

light, 
Where the flowers bloom forever, and the sun is always 

bright ? " 



THE END, 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: August 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 
(724) 779-21 1 1 



. 



■ 



